Movie theater owners looking for new ways to boost their revenue from advertising have cautiously been reviewing an innovation whose pioneers have included the Army National Guard.
The Guard, which has deployed recruitment ads to theaters before, fielded a new weapon: text-messaging moviegoers before the previews.
A slide in about 1,100 theaters in December invited patrons to use their cell phones to text in their age and let the Guard tell them about its required fitness level.
Those who opted in were messaged back sit-up, push-up and running requirements. They also got follow-up messages that touted enlistment benefits, such as tuition assistance.
For youth-focused marketers, texting is a “great conversation starter,” says Jason Fulmines, account executive at the Guard’s ad agency, LM&O Advertising. He says the time before movie previews — when people are often bored and fidgety — is ideal for initiating a dialogue. “You have a captive audience. And after they’re looking at ad after ad, this gives them something different to do.”
Yet, theater owners worry that text-based ads also could lead to annoying rings and flashing cell backlights during the show.
Distraction
“If you ask people to engage in texting in the cinema before the movie, what is the chance that they’ll forget to shut off their phones or they’ll continue to text during the movie?” asks Cliff Marks, sales president at National CineMedia, the ad sales arm for movie chains such as AMC Entertainment, Cinemark USA and the Regal Entertainment Group.
Marks’ group has placed text-focused ads in lobbies but remains wary about the screening room. “We need to be careful about angering the customer.”
Rival cinema ad seller Screenvision, which placed the Guard ads, has been more aggressive.
Over the last year, it has teamed with Verizon Wireless on several texting campaigns.
One last summer touted Verizon as well as Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” That promotion, on 3,000 screens, involved an interactive adventure game that also offered a chance to win a Caribbean vacation. A follow-up campaign in December promoted the “Pirates” DVD release.
Pre-movie messaging is a great way to connect with an interested audience, says John Harrobin, Verizon senior vice president of marketing and digital media.
“It’s all voluntary,” he says. “You don’t do it unless you want to do it.”
Verizon, of course, hopes you do: More texting over its network rings up more revenue.
Screenvision sales head Jason Brown acknowledges that unwanted distractions during the show are a concern but said it has received “minimal complaints” from theater owners.
